Good, busy weekend, but started getting a scratchy throat yesterday. And this today. It's going to be a long week (and the next 208 weeks as well)...

TRANSA was a compilation album from last year highlighting the work of trans and non-binary artists. My second favorite song on it is a cover of "I Would Die 4 U" with Lauren Auder and Wendy & Lisa, which led me to a deep dive of W&L.
Members of Prince's band The Revolution, they have been recording since 1986 and also write for TV and film, including the Emmy-winning theme of Nurse Jackie.

https://youtu.be/8UWqdVwlimA

#Tuesdaytunes

Roddy McDowall provides excellent narration of the novelization of the 1989 Batman movie. Fans of the animated series will know him as the voice of the Mad Hatter, and you can just tell he is having a blast when he gets to cut loose with the Joker scenes! The novelization is fine; a few scenes omitted, not much added. Definitely worth a listen in audio, though.

A friend bought me this set years ago. Titled "Lost Buildings" (not in database) it contains a DVD of a live recording of This American Life discussing the architect Louis Sullivan and the demolition of his buildings in Chicago. The book is a companion to the video, detailed photographic records of the buildings discussed. I don't have many thoughts on architecture, but this project makes it easy to see what was so special about these buildings.

From Nat Geo's Instagram stories. Immediately made me think of Monk and Robot; IYKYK 😁

I bought a bar calendar for 2025 from Bar World Sanctuary, and they also sent their annual report, which is a transparent breakdown of their finances, but also an index of their rescues for the year. So many lovely sky puppies!

Repost from @wildalaskabibliophile

Roll Call: Who's interested in an International Book Club? 📚✨ We would focus on translated literary works. #InternationalBC

Original post: https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2827182

Valloweeners, matches have been sent! Please check your email and confirm receipt.
🦇💀🖤 #ValloweenSwap @wildalaskabibliophile

We are coming up on one year of Tuesday Tunes! Whether you like to listen to music while reading or just love talking music, share new music discoveries or all-time favorites with the hashtag #tuesdaytunes
The Hold Steady are an indie rock band with punk vibes and lyrical storytelling. I really get a kick out of their song "Sequestered in Memphis"
https://youtu.be/mjDI1oouS8w

Classic!

My first read of 2025! I love the Powell/Loy movies, and I think the first film does an excellent job at adapting this book. If you are not familiar with the title, this is a well done detective novel with fun, sassy characters and an intriguing mystery. But if you've seen the movie, it doesn't really offer much additional story or insight. Still, since it has been a while since I've watched the movie, I had a blast revisiting Nick and Nora.

Join us for #ValloweenSwap. Sign-ups close today!

Do your expressions of love tend towards the darker side? Do you like unrequited or tortured love? Maybe romance is outside of your spectrum? Or perhaps you detest the commercialization of signs of affection?

Whatever your reason, sign up at this link: https://forms.gle/3yQawxV53ZvjZVk46

We had a visitor to our backyard recently. A herd of caribou has been coming in and out of our neighborhood over the past couple weeks. I caught sight of this guy while home sick on Thursday.

#Choose20 comics that stayed with you or influenced you. One comic a day, in no particular order. No explanation, no reviews, just covers.

Day 20

From @notcool

#Choose20 comics that stayed with you or influenced you. One comic a day, in no particular order. No explanation, no reviews, just covers.

Day 19

From @notcool

You would think the introduction of Spawn, Savage Dragon, and Blacula would be somewhat interesting, but this volume feels like blatant corporate crossover slop with hardly any impact on the larger story. With six months between issue 34 and 35, and no word on the future of the series, it is a disappointing way to leave fans hanging. I'd like to see some kind of conclusion, but I'm not in a hurry to continue this series.

A thrilling expansion of Clark's alternative Cairo. The third novella/short story in a trilogy of prequels to A Master of Djinn, we are introduced to Agent Nasr, a no-nonsense agent reluctantly paired with a newbie. Previous stories explored how the introduction of djinn and "angels" affected the city, but a new entity haunts this entry.

#Choose20 comics that stayed with you or influenced you. One comic a day, in no particular order. No explanation, no reviews, just covers.

Day 18

From @notcool

#Choose20 comics that stayed with you or influenced you. One comic a day, in no particular order. No explanation, no reviews, just covers.

Day 17

From @notcool

#bookspin #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

Bookspin pull is The Shining for #losersclub
Double bookspin is Girly Drinks, contributing to my effort to catch up on gifts from Littens ( @wanderinglynn )

Join us for #ValloweenSwap. Sign-up close Monday, January 6!
Do your expressions of love tend towards the darker side? Do you like unrequited or tortured love? Maybe romance is outside of your spectrum? Or perhaps you detest the commercialization of signs of affection?
Whatever your reason, sign up at this link: https://forms.gle/3yQawxV53ZvjZVk46

My 12 favorite reads of 2024. In no particular order:
Rise of the Red Blade - Delilah S Dawson
Bloom - Delilah S Dawson
Heartstopper - Alice Oseman
All the Names - Jose Saramago
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy - Becky Chambers
Killers of the Flower Moon - David Grann
The Talk - Darrin Bell
The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey
All the Sinners Bleed - S.A. Cosby
The Turnaway Study - Diana Greene Foster
The Trees - Percival Everett
When Among Crows - Veronica Roth

#Choose20 comics that stayed with you or influenced you. One comic a day, in no particular order. No explanation, no reviews, just covers.

Day 16

Via @notcool

#Choose20 comics that stayed with you or influenced you. One comic a day, in no particular order. No explanation, no reviews, just covers.

Day 15

From @notcool

#two4tuesday @TheSpineView

1. I'm going to focus mostly on #bookspinbingo

2. Tagged is the only book I've preordered. I'm also looking forward to the new Wayward Children entry and Nnedi Okorafor's Death of the Author.

Not only my favorite cover of the books I've read this year, but one of my top reads! Wonderfully sweet until it's not 😈 It's hard to know how much to talk about; the tag line lets you know it is going to turn dark, but the romance really is nicely portrayed, and the main character's internal thoughts are is so well described. At just under 200 pages, it could absolutely be a one-sitting read. I did three, but it was hard to put down in between.

#tuesdaytunes 2024 Review

My favorite albums, in no particular order:
Amos Lee - Transmissions
Lake Street Dive - Good Together
Jon Batiste - Beethoven Blues
Transa - Compilation Album
Orville Peck - Stampede
Madi Diaz - Weird Faith
Kacey Musgrave - Deeper Well
Jack White - No Name
Dawes - oh brother

#Choose20 comics that stayed with you or influenced you. One comic a day, in no particular order. No explanation, no reviews, just covers.

Day 14

From @notcool

I usually get Archie digests, so it was fun reading a book focusing just on Jughead, an implied asexual character (official status is... unconfirmed). Unfortunately, his stories can be a little repetitive, but a couple of the authors were able to do something interesting with the character.

#Choose20 comics that stayed with you or influenced you. One comic a day, in no particular order. No explanation, no reviews, just covers.

Day 13

Via @notcool

I have mixed feelings about this book. The author admits in the new preface that many terms used are no longer generally accepted and many patient descriptors are far from nuanced. While his attempts to humanize individuals who society and medicine tend to disregard are admirable, most profiles are simply a collection of observations and anecdotes, rarely providing any professional or psychological analysis or interpretation.

You are cordially invited to participate in the inaugural #ValloweenSwap, hosted by @wildalaskabibliophile and @tiedyedude
Do your expressions of love tend towards the darker side? Do you like unrequited or tortured love? Maybe romance is outside of your spectrum? Or perhaps you detest the commercialization of signs of affection?
Whatever your reason, sign up at this link by Monday, 1/6: https://forms.gle/3yQawxV53ZvjZVk46

#Choose20 comics that stayed with you or influenced you. One comic a day, in no particular order. No explanation, no reviews, just covers.

Day 12

From @notcool

The second prequel story to A Master of Djinn. An introduction to the strange and mysterious "angels" and an emotional trial for a young girl.

https://reactormag.com/the-angel-of-khan-el-khalili-p-djeli-clark/

Donny Cates concludes the definitive run on one of the best Marvel anti-heroes. Despite everything, in the end, he still feels like an outsider in the Marvel universe, which fits him just fine. He also lays the groundwork for Eddie Brock to pass on the mantle of Venom.

#Choose20 comics that stayed with you or influenced you. One comic a day, in no particular order. No explanation, no reviews, just covers.

Day 11

From @notcool

A massive cross-over event that sees the god of the symbiotes invade Earth. Eddie Brock/Venom is forced to reconcile with his place in the world and his role in saving it. Can he be a father to his son and a hero to the world, or is his violent path too much to put behind him? How can he rise to meet the King in Black when mutants and superheroes continue to fall to the void? Excellent storytelling and art.

Donny Cates continues to put Eddie/Venom through the ringer. It seems like every issue Eddie is separated from his symbiote, it is absorbed by someone else as something else attaches to Eddie; back and forth. It is a little repetitive, but there is enough variation and risk to keep things interesting and his relationship with his son is a good subplot.

As the threat of Knull grows, Cletus Kasady's corpse is reanimated by the Carnage symbiote. Lots of in-universe history that I don't have knowledge of, but it didn't really effect my ability to follow and enjoy the story. The tie-ins with the Venom comic were a little more integral, so I switched back and forth between this and Venom Vol. 3.

#Choose20 comics that stayed with you or influenced you. One comic a day, in no particular order. No explanation, no reviews, just covers.

Day 10 - CBLDF Presents Library Annual

Via @notcool

#Choose20 comics that stayed with you or influenced you. One comic a day, in no particular order. No explanation, no reviews, just covers.

Day 9

Via @notcool

@WildAlaskaBibliophile and I do our own jolabokaflod exchange on Christmas Eve. Here's what I got! I've been wanting to get into the Locked Tomb trilogy for a while, but I think I'm going to start with the tagged book!

A silly novella where a bunch of incel misogynists are lured to a prison island with the promise of a woman for everyone 🤣 When a non-binary mercenary is sent to retrieve sensitive data left behind, the mission encounters several complications that force our hero to face the island's inhabitants, usually ending in death in one way or another.

#tuesdaytunes #gridirongab @KadaGul

Philadelphia Eagles Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and Jordan Mailata released their third and final Philly Special Christmas album this year. What started as a fun hobby has grown into an all-star fundraiser for Children's Crisis Treatment Center and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Happy Christmas Eve, if you celebrate ☺️🎄

#Choose20 comics that stayed with you or influenced you. One comic a day, in no particular order. No explanation, no reviews, just covers.

Day 8

Via @notcool

#Choose20 comics that stayed with you or influenced you. One comic a day, in no particular order. No explanation, no reviews, just covers.

Day 7: Venom - Lethal Protector

Via @notcool

#Choose20 comics that stayed with you or influenced you. One comic a day, in no particular order. No explanation, no reviews, just covers.

Day 6

Via @notcool

An exciting entry into the world of Egypt and djinns in this prequel novelette.

This was the first volume of Last Mechanika I collected. I'm a sucker for Dia de los Muertos aesthetics, but regardless, how could you pass up a cover like this?! Set before the events of the main run of comics, Lady M visits a small Mexican village being terrorized by a group of bandits and decides to lend them her services, in part in search of her own redemption.

#Choose20 comics that stayed with you or influenced you. One comic a day, in no particular order. No explanation, no reviews, just covers.

Day 5

Via @notcool